


Pet Names

by RiRiMania1335



Series: You're a god and I'm just awkward [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And Keith is just not, Awkward Boyfriends, But mostly fluff, Cuban Lance, Garrison Boyfriends, Keith never got kicked out of the Garrison AU, Lance is smooth af, M/M, Pet Names, cringeworthy, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 06:44:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9479852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiRiMania1335/pseuds/RiRiMania1335
Summary: Stupid Lance and his disgusting talent of making every single pet name work. It must be one of the traits of a natural born flirt.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't worked on this AU for a while. Oops. Side projects and what not. But I'm getting back into the swing of this Awkward Keith AU. Anyway - ENJOY!

Of course, Keith was excited to have a boyfriend. Though it was all entirely new to him. He would flinch when Lance to try to hold his hand as they walked side by side. He would cock his head when Lance would expectantly pucker his lips when they parted ways. He spent two hours in front of his bathroom mirror practicing his wink because, fuck it looked so sexy when Lance does it. But when he tried it, Lance worried he was having a seizure. He had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. And yet, he didn’t want to drag himself out of it. 

“Keith, honey, would you be a dear and grab me a drink while you’re up.” Upon Keith’s oh-so-humble request, they had decided just to stay in and enjoy a movie night behind closed doors, curled up on Lance’s bed with the a laptop resting on both their laps. Because everything was much more awkward with other people. He grunted in affirmation and grabbed Lance a drink. 

“Here you go, cupcake.” Keith replied with a deep blush as he handed the drink to Lance. He’d never called Lance anything aside from his name. But he almost never referred to Keith just by his name. He was always adding some endearing pet name or strange suffix that actually sounds really nice when it rolls off Lance’s tongue. He figured if Lance did it for him, he probably wanted to be called those names too. 

He did extensive research on the art of using pet names. And one of the most important rules was to try to relate it to a pastry as often as possible. Why? Keith wasn’t exactly sure. But so many of them were associated with bakery items, he figured there must have been some kind of connection. 

Lance’s fingers wrapped around the soda can but couldn’t bring himself to pull it out of Keith’s hand. He kept a steady gaze on Keith with a dorky half-smile on his lips; it was near impossible to tell if he wanted to laugh or cry. Keith’s blush deepened and he looked down to the floor.  _ That sounded so stupid. Why does Lance make everything look so easy _ . He asked himself, wishing he could travel one minute back in time and never even try to use a stupid pet name. Maybe it would be best if he let Lance cover the pet names department. 

“Cupcake?” Lance smiled, cracking open the soda, “Interesting choice, puddin.” Damn it, Lance made it sound so easy, like it belongs at the end of the sentence. Like the sentence wouldn’t be complete without it. And even though Keith was certain Lance was trying to mock him, it just wasn’t mocking when it sounded so good. 

“Shut up, Lance.” He wanted to try another pet name. He really did. But at the last second, he chickened out and went with the good old-fashioned first name. It was always safe. Keith jumped up on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. Stupid Lance and his disgusting talent of making every single pet name work. It must be one of the traits of a natural born flirt. 

“Aww, babycakes, don’t be pissed. I really do think it sounded cute. You should call me cute pet names more often.” Lance begged, wrapping his arms around Keith’s neck and kissing him over and over on his red tinged cheeks. 

“Nope. Never again. You’re Lance. And you will always be Lance now.” Keith wanted to try again. But he wasn’t sure he could take the embarrassment of messing it up again. It was a goddamn word. It shouldn’t be this hard to do right. Why did it always sound so wrong? Why did no word seem to fit Lance? 

“Come on, sugar cube, you don’t really mean that.” Keith didn’t seem to budge, not even as Lance softly tickled his sides. Lance pulled back and turned away, his lips in a disappointed pout. “I’ll be sad if you just call me Lance. I want to be called cute names too.” 

Keith couldn’t resist Lance when he looked like that - so sad over absolutely nothing important. He swallowed what little bit of pride of he had left and turned to face Lance, “Alright, alright, don’t cry about it, pookie.” And he immediately wished he had kept that little bit of pride. Because pookie sounded infinitely worse than cupcake. 

Lance didn’t even try to hold his laughter this time, clutching his stomach as he nearly rolled out of his seat. “Pookie, seriously? Where are you getting these names from? Did you look up lamest pet names on Google or something?” It was playful banter, but Keith didn’t feel like playing. Instead, he huffed as he jumped off the bed and beelined for the door, his jacket slung over his shoulder. Lance jumped off the bed after him, “Hey, hey, hey. Keith, get back here. You are not seriously going to leave because of that, right? Don’t be so sensitive, sweetheart. Come on, pookie actually sounded kind of cute. I like it.” 

“Don’t lie to me, Lance.” Keith stopped and turned away from Lance again, “And yes, I did Google a list of pet names. But not lame ones. I searched the cutest pet names for a boyfriend.” Lance’s heart nearly melted at the embarrassment in Keith’s voice. Of course Keith would Google these things that should just come naturally. And of course Keith would actually admit to it. Damn, he was just too cute. Lance couldn’t stop himself from pulling Keith into his chest and hugging him tight. 

“You’re too much, babe. You know that. I was just kidding. I didn’t actually think you looked anything up.” He pressed a line of kisses down the side of Keith’s jaw. “You’re absolutely perfect. You don’t have to stress about finding the right pet name right now. When you find one that works, just -”    


“But you want me to use them now, right?” Keith pleaded, “You always call me those cute things, so I want to be able to call you cute things too. But everything always sounds so cool rolling off your tongue. Like you’re voice was made to say all that shit. I never get it right.” Why were they even talking about this. This was a dumb, pointless conversation. And it was time for it to be over. Lance was good at pet names and Keith wasn’t - end of story.

Lance instantly perked up, shooting Keith a beaming smile ready to erupt with laughter. “You would really deny me cute names because you think they sound weird. You’re a shitty boyfriend,  Keith.” Keith would be lying if he said that didn’t hurt a little. Or rather, hurt a lot. He spent the next few moments ridiculing himself for being a shitty boyfriend. He really didn’t want to lose Lance over something so trivial. “You think I care what it sounds like. It’s the thought that counts, babe. It means that you’re thinking of me in a cute way. Like when I call you honey or sugar, it’s like I’m telling you that you’re sweet and yummy. Of course it’s going to sound dumb.” 

Keith didn’t want to argue anymore. He also didn’t want to leave, either. Because spending time with Lance was valuable and precious and he should really work on his bad habit of running away when things get stressful. Instead, he maneuvered his way out of Lance’s arms and back onto Lance’s bed, curling up under a blanket and giving Lance the angriest pout he could manage. Lance would still say it was adorable. He rolled his eyes and walked back over to the bed himself, climbing up and setting the laptop back on his knees where the both of them could see it. Keith shoved away every attempt at cuddling. 

Lance felt bad. He felt genuinely guilty for ruining their night. They were having such a good time until Lance went and fucked it up. He continuously tried to reach for Keith’s hand under the blanket only to have to pulled back. Every glance he would spare revealed that Keith was intently staring at his phone. Lance assumed he was texting his roommate about what an awful time he was having. Or maybe mindlessly scrolling through apps just to ignore Lance. 

The comforting atmosphere was gone; there was a tension in the air between them. Lance was certain Keith would get over it. Maybe he just shouldn’t pester about it anymore. Maybe he should stop calling Keith pet names if it was that upsetting. Maybe Keith just needed more time to adjust, it had only been a few weeks after all. 

After a while, Lance noticed Keith shove his phone back in his pocket and turned his attention back to the movie. He didn’t bother to ask what he’d missed, and he couldn’t say he really cared anyway. This was some Nicholas Sparks film. Keith had no interest in the plot and had predicted the ending from the beginning. But he still watched the remainder intently, side-eyeing Lance every once in awhile. Saying nothing when Lance was close to tears when the main characters died. He’d already known Lance was emotional, but now he knew Lance was a sucker for a good old-fashioned romance movie. Keith thought it was kind of cute. 

As the end credits rolled and the screen minimized, Keith stared down at the time in the bottom right corner of the screen. 12:17. Shit, was it really that late already? He could have sworn it was 9:00 twenty minutes ago. Lance was still wiping the tears from his eyes in the most nonchalant way when Keith coughed to clear his throat. Lance’s head quickly spun in his direction. “It’s pretty late, huh?” He stated and questioned at the same time with a tint on his cheeks. Was Lance still upset about before? Did he still think Keith was a shitty boyfriend? 

That was when Lance checked the time and his eyes widened when he realized it was the after midnight. “Wow, that movie was longer than I thought it was.” He scratched the back of his neck and smirked at Keith. “It’s kinda late for you to be wandering around. Wanna just spend the night here?” They hadn’t had a sleepover yet; even though Lance suggested it nearly every time one of their dates ran late. But tonight it was actually a possibility because Hunk was spending the night in the library to work on a project he should have started weeks ago. They had the dorm room all to themselves. This was the perfect opportunity for Lance to teach Keith how to cuddle, maybe even how to spoon. 

Lance’s hopes were crushed when Keith climbed off the bed and he responded with the same line he used every time - “Uhm, not tonight. Shiro’s gonna wonder where I am.” Lance wasn’t sure if that was true or not. 

The reply Lance offered always varied, but it was always the same underlying message. “Just text him that you’re staying here. He’d probably be more worried if you go wandering between buildings so late at night.” He knew his words were a waste of breath. Keith always had the same counterargument. 

Lance held up three fingers...two fingers….one finger. “I’m going back to my room, Lance.” Right on cue. It wasn’t vengeful or angry. Actually, it was humble and bashful coming from Keith’s mouth. Like staying the night would be a burden. Like he would be overstaying his welcome. And Lance couldn’t be mad about it. Surely, someday down the line, Keith would agree to spend the night. But it never hurt to try. 

So Lance closed his laptop and jumped off his bed, escorting Keith to the door with an arm wrapped around his waist. As Keith reached for the doorknob, Lance vocalized a concern. “You’re not still upset about,” he bit his bottom lip, “about before, are you?” 

Keith faltered, missing the doorknob completely, his hand grasping nothing but air. He looked to the floor and scratched his forearms. “Uh, n-no. I’m not upset.” Lance was convinced he had something else to say. He could tell just by the way Keith stood, the way he rubbed his arms together and the way his eyes darted around the room. He gave Keith a few seconds to continue, but nothing ever came. 

Lance opened the door, slowly and without purpose. Because it looked like Keith wasn’t making any further effort to leave the room. “As long as you’re not mad at me. I don’t want us to fight over something as silly as pet names. You know.” He scratched his cheek and bent down to give Keith a kiss goodbye. But Keith dodged it all the last minute. 

Lance froze. Literally unable to move where he stood. Because he thought Keith had gotten used to their goodbye kisses by now. He knew Keith still tensed sometimes, and he knew Keith still flinched sometimes. But he had never full on dodged before. Lance had been rejected many times in his life, but he’d never felt more rejected than he felt in that moment. Dropping his head in regret, he came to the conclusion that he probably deserved it. It wasn’t until he heard his name whispered ever so softly that he tilted his head up. 

“Goodnight and sweet dreams, my caramelo,” Keith was up on his tiptoes, mouth barely an inch from Lance’s ear. When did he get so close? Keith was like a ninja or something. And in that same thought, Lance felt lips on his cheek, Keith’s lips, pressing a soft kiss against the smooth skin. 

Lance was awestruck. Keith actually kissed him this time. Keith said something really sexy, in a really sexy voice right next to his ear. Keith was going to kill him with cuteness - sexiness? It didn’t matter. Because either way, Keith would be the death of him. He stood motionless with a stupid smile on his lips. “Did you just kiss me?” He asked, and before Keith could say anything, he asked another question, “Did you just call me a pet name in  _ Spanish _ !?” 

Keith looked down scratching his neck, “Well, the English ones weren’t working. And I figured, since your Spanish -” Keith was abruptly cut off. 

“Cuban,” Lance corrected. 

“What?” 

“I’m Cuban, not Spanish. There’s a difference. Cubans are from Cuba, Spanish people are from Spain.” Lance explained, “But we both speak similar versions of Spanish. Sorry, continue.” Lance could tell by the look on Keith’s face that he was learning. 

“Right, well, since you speak Spanish, I thought maybe the Spanish names would work better on you. So I was looking a bunch of them up and-” 

“That’s what you were doing on your phone!” Lance interrupted again. “I was worried you were mad at me and you were just ignoring me.” 

“What? No. I-I wasn’t ignoring you. I mean, I kinda was, but not because I was mad at you. I just.” His voice got small, “I just wanted to find a pet name for you.” His eyes clenched shut and his voice picked up the pace “D-Did you like caramelo, because there were others and-” 

“Keith, Keith, baby. Slow down.” Lance pressed their lips together to shut him up. It was the most effective way. “I  _ loved  _ it, Keith. I think it’s perfect. You say it so perfectly and it sounds so so sexy. Say it again, please.” Lance pleaded.

Keith blushed, “You’re- You don’t think it sounds weird?” He twiddled his thumbs around. 

“No, no. Not at all. Just say it again for me.” Lance clasped his hands together to emphasize how badly he wanted to hear it again. 

Keith took a shaky breath, slowly clasping his own hands behind his back. “I- I don’t want to.” He shuffled towards the door again. 

Lance’s arm cut him off, preventing his escape. “Pretty pretty please,” His bottom lip puffed out in a pout and eyebrows curled down. Keith has come to call this Lance’s desperate face. And it didn’t go away until Lance got what he wanted. 

Keith stepped back, “Lance, come on. It’s late and I want to go back to my room. Please let me go,” his voice shook, “caramelo.” 

Lance’s desperate look fell and was replaced by a wide grin. “God, it’s so sexy. You can’t leave now. I just want to keep you here and hold you all night long.” Keith’s eyebrows raised and he made a not-so-subtle reach for the door. Lance let his grin fall and smirked instead, “But it’s late. And you want to go back to your room. Right. I totally understand.” He nodded vigorously as he cleared the space between Keith and the exit. “Goodnight, boyfriend.” he gave one last final goodbye. “Don’t forget to text me when you get back to your room.”

Keith rolled his eyes. Of course he wouldn’t forget. “Goodnight, Lance.” 

\----

Lance got a text from Shiro fifteen minutes later. 

Keiths Roomie: Keith just got back and he’s practically hysterical. What did you do to him? 

Lance laughed as he typed back his reply.

Lance: I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear. He’s just too cute for his own good. And thanks for letting me know he made it back. I figured he’d forget.

**Author's Note:**

> Side note - yes. I did do extensive googling of pet names for this fic. And no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Also side note, I am Keith when it comes to pet names. 
> 
> ANywhoooo - come [ yell ](http://animezing-life.tumblr.com/) at me about Klance, or Keith, or Lance, or VLD in general! Please. I desperately need people to obsess over Voltron with!


End file.
